The SuperHAD chips in the DSO are very sensitive but the chip in the DSO-1 is tiny, so your FOV would be pretty small.

Probably a set of parameters to start with would be a fast, short refractor and a tracking mount. Push the exposure times and see what happens

Another alternative is to invest in one of the Sony Alpha cameras with the crazy high ISO...apparently the Milky Way is visible in Live View mode...

Given you have a tracking equatorial mount and a Canon DSLR already, the lowest price of entry is a T-adapter so you can attach your camera to your refractor. So long as you're polar alignment is reasonable, you can push the exposure time with high ISO and see what you get. You'll get a relatively wide FOV with the Canon sensor, and you should start to see colour in brighter objects in relatively short exposures (<1min).

This thread is turning into a quite a discussion place for video astronomy!

Craig, your original intention in your starting this thread I think has morphed into something larger!

I wonder if this thread is maybe worth considering for 'sticky' status? Video astronomy is the 'Ugly Duckling' of astroimaging, but still a powerful tool and all many people want from the imaging stakes.

For me, this thread has provided a fantastic resource that lastnight finally saw me be able to tame the little video camera I've had for close to a couple of years, to provide me with the best colour image of M42 and Eta Carina I've had on a screen! Even better, in taming it, I've come to see that the camera in the intergration process also does some image aligning so I did not get streaky stars! Even at the maximum X1064 integration rate!!!

Sorry folks, I don't have any images of last night's session as I was using a dumb monitor - I wanted to concentrate entirely on getting the camera settings down pat. All I can offer is a photo of the rig I used, a 114mm f/4.4 Tasco newt on a reclaimed Meade fork mount, coupled to a DIY wedge. The pic shows the monitor I used too. I was able to squeeze in 95% of M42 onto the screen with M43 tucked in too. Without M43 I probably would have had all of M42 on the screen - that's approximately a 1.0į TFOV {that's TWO MOON diameters, for Adrian... } with 500mm focal length.

I can't wait to rig up the camera to my C8 & my 8" f/4 scope!

I'll talk to the Higher Powers about this thread too.

Craig, MANY THANKS MATE! for starting this thread!

Alex.

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Last edited by mental4astro; 10-11-2015 at 10:43 AM.
Reason: For Adrian! :)

I have no idea how big or small that is lol. Give it to me in moon diameters.

Also, that little camera has some image stacking. That's pretty damn cool.
Re: Video astronomy as a sort of ugly duckling. I think its an emergent technology that has been under utilized by the Astro community. Let's be honest, not everyone can afford or more practically transport a large 20"+ telescope. But, a little 8" newt and smaller refractor's with a tracking mount and a camera + laptop or screen. You can fit that in the boot of a small car. Being able to see quite deep and in color in real time in a compact package. That's a great development. Color images are also what catches the eyes of the greater public too. As you say in the outreach programs you do Alex, your video astro setup is a big hit. Hell I've watched it personally a couple years back. You had a big crowd around you.

Same here, Adrian, I've got to get the gear. Still researching, no rush. AND I haven't bought any Tak gear!

I now realise that a video camera will suit what I want from visual observing more so than with the eye. Video cameras can go deeper than the eye and, it seems, with larger image scale. Great!

Alex, I really am glad to hear that you have gotten control of your camera. AND great enthusiasm displayed as well. Your posts make a good read; we can see the short journey you have just been on to finally be able to get good imaging. So you must be very happy you bought the LN300 now. (But no real credit here. This thread was fairly self-serving and is like one of those questions that everyone wants to ask but doesn't.)

Now I am looking for a 12v LCD monitor with resolution of 800 x 480. I think 7" is a good size. I intend to mount it on top of the OTA above the eyepiece (maybe) or on the mount tripod just below the head.

I haven't had any luck finding a monitor below $100 in Australia, and for ebay purchase all sub $100 monitors are through Chinese vendors and I am wary that they state 800x 480 resolution but it may not actually be true. Does anyone know of where I can get a monitor (or have a monitor to sell)? I think 5" will be too small, 9" too large.

I have just such a beast sitting atop my OTA. There is an emerging brand of Chinese photographic accessories trading under the name Apeture. A unit from Apeture will satisfy all your specs. The sell around $280 for a 7" they are worth every cent + $280.
I have a very strong feeling we will become familiar with the Apeture brand as we move into the third wave of Chinese manufacture.
A brilliant unit!

Adrian, yes, the scope was tracking. Video astronomy still requires an eq tracking mount. What I was not too clear about was that the camera was able to deal with the alignment of my gear not being spot on, so it corrected for drift. If your scope does not track, the exposure time/sense up setting, needs to be shorter.

On the subject of exposure, as the single longest exposure of the LN300 is 1/60sec, the max. sense up setting of 1064X makes for an effective exposure of 17.73 seconds.

Craig, my use of video astronomy is as an outreach tool. It is not my primary observing method. I may use it more now that I've installed a Nexus system onto the little scope I use for video, and that I've now got good control of the camera. Sketching at the eyepiece is still my main niche in astro.

Fellow IISer, Bob (yes, 'Bob' is his username! ), does use video as his primary observing method. I spoke with Bob this week on this topic. Craig, you might like to drop Bob a PM as he may be able to give you some insight into using video as the main observing method. I've found Bob very knowledgeable and approachable,

To get things going with the new sticky status of this thread, I've attached a couple of my very first and clumsy photos done with my GSTAR EX from my home in Sydney.

The pics were taken from my backyard two years ago while very new to VA. Yeah not too crash hot as I didn't have great camera control then. The globular cluster is 47Tuc, using an 8" f/4 Newt. The second shot was done using a C8 (sorry that it is not quite in focus as I was swapping the camera around on different scopes that night - pics looks better as a thumbnail ). The apparent different scale between the photos is because of the different focal ratios. The pic of M42 was done using a 114mm 500mm fl Newt. The forth, of cause the Moon, using the same 114mm Newt. The quality of these images shows what bugger all experience can achieve like I had two years ago. I'll try to take some more images once the clouds bugger off, from home too.

A neat thing about many of these video cameras is they are not limited to being used with telescopes. CCTV lenses, and also camera lenses, can be used to achieve very wide angle shots of the sky. The last pic is the GSTAR with a CCTV lens. The camera can then be mounted on a tripod, or even piggybacked onto a scope - a good option so the scope can be used for visual, and the camera as a video feed.

Monitors that have low resolution are priced alright but those that have the 800 X 480 jump up in price.

Jaycar has a 9" 800 X 480 monitor for about $150. They also have a cheaper 7" but the resolution is low.

Alex n David, do you both use a camera with monitor for just visual observation? Do you mainly view this way?

Craig, I use a monitor because I am vision impaired aka blind. I also use a monitor for terrestrial photography, it's part of a large project I started about two years ago. The 7" monitor from Aperture is an excellent piece of kit. In addition to an excellent HiDef display, it can carry its own battery, its light weight and positively anorexic.
I am now on the cusp of getting into astrophotography. I have spent a small fortune on this project but its beginning to bear fruit.
I also have a field monitor @ 27"' If you are experiencing age-related vision loss than you can gain tremendous utility from good monitors.
All the comments re faint fuzzies and colour are true. At this moment, my system can only deliver on bright objects, the Moon, Jupiter .... planetary stuff. My hope is, in fact, my plan is to develop a system that will take me beyond the Gass Giants and into the wider night sky.